


Keep Moving

by commandercrouton



Series: Reylo Drabbles & One-Shots [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Grandpa Ben Kenobi, He is the softest grandpa, I don't know, I hope I tag correctly, Marine Ben Kenobi, Marine Ben Solo, My friends talked me into writing this, Rey Kenobi, Rey and Grandpa Ben are best friends, Rey is a Kenobi, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 11:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19904980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commandercrouton/pseuds/commandercrouton
Summary: Rey pauses mid-chew. “Ben?”“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Rey, I raised you better than that.”She quickly chews and swallows, setting her silverware on the faded blue and white tablecloth he’s had since she was a child.“Yes, Ben. Marine in the Second Marine Regiment. Good kid. Nice head on his shoulders.”“Grandpa, that’s your division. You are Ben,” she enunciates slowly, hoping he clears up whatever is going through his head.“I know that.”She isn’t sure what to make of her grandpa referring to himself in the third person. She knew not getting out of the house was making him stir-crazy. Perhaps this is a side effect of it.----In which Grandpa Ben meets a different Ben and plays matchmaker





	Keep Moving

**Author's Note:**

> I fully blame [Elemie89](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/works)and [RensKnight18](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RensKnight18/works) for this. Ren was the one who prompted it and I just kind of took it and ran with it?? Anyways I hope you like it! Thanks so much for the prompt!
> 
> Many thanks to the best beta a reylo could ask for. I love you! Check out her stuff here: [RebelRebel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelRebel/pseuds/RebelRebel)
> 
> I was gifted this super awesome moodboard by my wild friend: [Waffles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/pseuds/SpaceWaffleHouseTM)

Every Friday night, Rey has a standing date with the most important man in her life. Without fail, he greets her with a smile, a kiss on the cheek, and politely pulls out her chair as they sit across from each other for dinner.

It’s her favorite part of the week.

“Grandpa!” she calls out as she lets herself in with her key.

“In the kitchen, Sunshine.”

His voice sounds strong today. It is a good sign, she thinks to herself as she toes out of her shoes and places her purse by the door. She is still getting used to the smaller house her Grandpa moved in last year. The old two-story house she grew up in was too much work for him to handle on his own. Deciding to rent out her childhood home, her grandpa now resides in a small house just a few blocks away from her apartment.

She hears him walking around the kitchen, the thump of his cane accompanying his stride as he prepares their dinner. 

“It smells delicious,” she says as she walks through the threshold, smelling the steak and green beans he has plated on the table. 

“How’s my best girl?” He rises to greet her with her usual kiss to the cheek. She pulls him into a hug, smelling the scent that is home to her. His white beard scratches against her cheek, and at this moment, her heart breaks a little knowing he won’t always be around. 

“I’m fine. Work was crazy today, though. My boss wants me to comb through another manuscript over the weekend.”

He leads her to her chair, and pulls it out for her, easing her in gently as she adjusts herself. No man will ever compare to the one who raised her. He is everything to her, just as she is everything to him. Once her grandmother passed away when she was five, they were all they had left. Her parents were long gone in a car accident when she was a baby. She doesn’t remember them, but her grandpa loves telling her stories of the crazy antics her mother would get into. Sometimes, she catches him staring at pictures of her and her mother side by side, almost twins. Her mother stopped aging at the tender age of twenty-four. The year Rey surpassed her in age was a hard one for both her and her grandpa. 

“How about you? How was your week?” she continues as she cuts a piece of the steak. Red juices surround it, and she wonders if anyone can sear a steak and make it to so perfectly rare as her grandpa can. 

“Blasted retirement is making me crazy. Ben has been helping though. Wild war stories, that one.”

Rey pauses mid-chew. “Ben?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Rey, I raised you better than that.”

She quickly chews and swallows, setting her silverware on the faded blue and white tablecloth he’s had since she was a child.

“Yes, Ben. Marine in the Second Marine Regiment. Good kid. Nice head on his shoulders.”

“Grandpa, that’s your division. You are Ben,” she enunciates slowly, hoping he clears up whatever is going through his head.

“I know that.”

She isn’t sure what to make of her grandpa referring to himself in the third person. She knew not getting out of the house was making him stir-crazy. Perhaps this is a side effect of it. 

As they conclude Friday night dinner with dancing and one episode of his true crime stories, she realizes he doesn’t bring him up for the rest of the dinner, and neither does she. 

\----------

It starts slow.

Grandpa Ben brings up _other_ Ben once or twice during their dinners, nothing too alarming. 

Now, it seems like he will not stop talking about Ben. The stories he tells her are so similar to the ones she has heard growing up, she wonders if he forgets he already told her his World War II stories. 

Finn tells her not to worry, it’s just him getting older. Rey refuses to believe that. She is no doctor, but she has looked up symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and he fits none of them. 

He is lucid, clear, aware, and knows exactly when it is and where he is. She cannot understand it. 

Smiling along to the “new” story of Ben being initiated into the second regiment – even including his classic line about how certain parts weren’t fit for a lady’s ear – she pauses at a new addition.

“What did you say?”

He fixes her with a stare that’s caused stronger men to submit, but she’s no man. She’s a Kenobi, and she meets his stare head-on. 

She holds the stare for a minute, then two, until his eyes crinkle as he laughs, muttering about how she is just like him, and how he’s never understood how he survived raising her through her teenage years.

“I got my stubbornness from you!” she laughs along with him. 

“Damn straight you did. The best thing I could leave you, too.”

The last comment sobers her up. Her smile slowly falls from her face as she looks at him. “Grandpa, don’t say things like that.”

“It’s the truth. Sometimes I worry about you. I wonder who is gonna take care of my best girl when I move on and meet your Grandma up wherever she is.”

“Nobody needs to take care of me. You made sure I can handle myself.”

She reaches for his hand. His large hand covers her with no hesitancy. Rey relishes in the feel of his warm skin on hers. Brands the feel of his calluses into her memory. She knows she needs to remember this moment ten, fifteen, even thirty years down the line. His grip is weaker than she remembers and tears begin to prick her eyes. 

“I know that. Just remember I love you, and I will always be looking out for you. Now, remember, what do we say?”

She smiles a little as she repeats the motto he instilled in her when she was just a child crying over something so trivial she can’t even remember.

“Keep moving.”

“That’s my girl. Keep moving. Even when the enemy is raining gunfire over you, you keep moving. That’s how you stay alive.”

He squeezes her hand one more time, then extracts himself from her hold. 

“Now, where was I? Oh, right, the hazing. Now Ben has these huge ears, so when they –”

“Grandpa, you don’t have big ears,” she interrupts.

He rolls his eyes impatiently. “I know. This is Ben we are talking about.”

“Right, sorry. It just sounds like your hazing story, is all.” 

“I told you Ben was in the second regiment, right?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Oh, that reminds me. Can we do Thursday instead of Friday for our dinner next week?”

Rey almost drops her jaw in shock. They have never once changed the date of their weekly dinners. Never. Her grandpa even came over when she had the flu a few years ago, bringing her chicken noodle soup and crackers. He even pretended to hide the wrapper to his meal at the fast-food joint.

“Why?” she chokes out.

“Ben wants me to join him next week. I told him about our standing date, but he insisted.”

Rey hesitantly agrees, wondering what on earth is going on with her grandpa to make him act this way.

\----------

Rey is assisting with dinner, on a _Thursday_ no less, when she hears the doorbell ring. 

She stares at the front door with a curious look on her face. 

“Can you bring the burgers to the dining room, Sunshine?”

Her jaw tenses as she watches her grandpa leave the room, his cane thumping against the hardwood floors. They never eat in the dining room. Not even on holidays. She walks slowly with the food to the dining room, listening for anything that can tell her who arrived at the house. 

She suddenly hears boisterous laughter, and her eyes narrow. She hasn’t heard her grandpa laugh like that in years. 

“Right this way.”

“I saw another car out front. We could have rescheduled if you had plans tonight.”

Rey instantly stands at attention once she hears _that_ voice. It is dark, eloquent, confident, and somehow still so sinful. Her thighs clench together unconsciously, and now is not the time for her to be behaving like this. Her grandpa would murder the man in cold blood and bury his body somewhere in the forest with his old buddies helping. 

“Rey is here. I told her we had to move our weekly dinners because of our thing.”

“Oh, I look forward to meeting them.”

“Rey, I’d like you to meet someone.” 

She sets the burgers on the table gently before standing tall. Turning around, her hazel eyes are instantly drawn to the tall figure standing next to the man who raised her. His dark hair and chocolate eyes match his voice so perfectly. His broad shoulders and imposing figure seem to take up the entire room. Her mouth parts gently, raking in his figure, realizing he looks a bit dazed. 

Minutely shaking her head, she offers a smile and a nod. 

“I’m Ben,” he says, thrusting a large hand out.

At this introduction, she freezes. All this time, the other Ben was real. Her grandpa wasn’t going crazy or senile. He’s just as sane as he always was. Holy forking shirt. 

Ben looks down at his hand before hastily bringing it back to rest against his thigh. 

“I’m so sorry. I dazed out for a minute. So you’re Ben. The marine from the second regiment, just like my Grandpa?” she attempts to recover.

“Yes, ma’am. I was surprised at the similarities myself. Pardon me for saying so, but you’re not what I expected.”

Her eyes narrow and she glances back at her grandpa who is somehow looking _too_ casual for this interaction. 

“What exactly does that mean?”

“Well, I thought Rey was a boy. I mean, I never met a girl with a guy’s name.”

She is about to open her mouth to tell him exactly where he can shove that opinion, but her Ben beats her to the punch.

Old Ben knocks him upside the head, a feat even for him, and scolds him, “Don’t ever insult a pretty girl like my Sunshine. She was named after my mother.” 

He has the grace to look somewhat abashed, muttering a quiet apology.

“Well I thought you were made up by my grandpa, so let’s call it even, shall we?” It slips out before she realizes. He stares at her wide eyes, and her grandpa is holding in a laugh. That’s when the connection hits. “You knew, didn’t you Grandpa!?”

“I caught on after the fourth or fifth time. Don’t be mad, Sunshine. I just couldn’t resist pulling your leg.”

“You are incorrigible. I should make you eat a turkey burger.”

“You wouldn’t dare! I raised you better than to deny an old man his last rights.”

‘Well apparently this old man is still as sharp as a tack,” she argues, doing her best to hide the smile now growing on her face.

Ben watches them with a hesitant expression on his face. It’s clear he is uncomfortable with the intimacy between the two and is unsure how he fits in their dynamic. 

Old Ben claps him on the back and tells him to have a seat, all the food should be there. 

Rey walks to her chair and is surprised when the young Ben pulls out her chair for her. Her stomach flips a little at his consideration. Her grandpa looks on with a proud eye as if the other Ben has just passed some sort of test. Rey still feels as if she is missing _something_ , but the feeling dwindles as she loses herself in conversation with the two Ben’s.

Dinner goes by smoother than she could have ever hoped for. Ben seems to fit well in their small family. Her grandpa loves him as they both chat over the stories and camaraderie from being in the Marines. She laughs with them when they share stories of their brothers in arms playing pranks. 

“I don’t mean to offend, but why do you have a British accent? Your Grandpa told me you grew up here.”

“Yes, but my grandma was British. They met in the war. After she died, Grandpa and I moved back here. I just never seemed to lose it. Grandpa always had his American accent, but whenever he thought I was losing it, we would stay up watching BBC.”

“Your voice reminds me of Grandma, rest her soul. You look just like my daughter. And you are named after my mother. I have the three most important woman in my life in you, Sunshine.”

“Oh Grandpa, don’t think I’m gonna forget about that joke with you being so sweet.”

His eyes twinkle mischievously, as he mutters he wouldn’t dare as the table erupts in laughter at his cheekiness.

Ben’s eye catches her every time she laughs, and she can feel her cheeks heating up. 

A chair scrapes, breaking them out of their trance with one another, as they both look up to see Old Ben leaving the table. Smiling shyly at one another, they stand as they lift their plates and bring them to the kitchen sink. 

She makes her way to the living room as she pulls out her phone and scrolls through a playlist. 

“What are you feeling tonight, Grandpa?” 

Ben looks on with curiosity as Old Ben walks in, leaning his cane against the wall and whispers something in her ear.

She smiles a beaming smile, and the notes of a song begin to fill the air. Ben sits down, watching the duo dance slowly around the floor. 

Everything is the way it always is, until her grandpa stops her mid-twirl, and looks at Ben. 

“We are being rude, Sunshine. Ben, why don’t you cut in? Rey is a mighty fine dancer. I taught her well.”

Just like that – everything clicks. 

Her grandpa is setting them up. 

She’s being set up by her very old grandpa. 

Her body flushes in defiance and in pleasure at the idea of Ben holding her in his arms. Before she protests, her traitorous grandfather steps away, allowing Ben to gently hold her hand in his. 

She glares pointedly at her grandfather, making it extremely clear a conversation is going to happen after their guest leaves. 

“Rey, Sunshine, how do I pick a – oh nevermind, I figured it out.” He sets the phone down and shuffles over to the chair Ben just vacated, watching them hold one another with a victorious smile on his face. 

She instantly recognizes the music her grandpa chooses. She is struck by the audacity of this man. 

The crooning voice of The Ink Spots began to pour out of her speakers as they sing “We’ll Meet Again.”

The same song her grandpa and grandma danced to the night they first met during the war. The same song they danced to at their wedding two years later. 

Ben places his large hand against her lower back, pulling her closer to his large frame. She closes her eyes as she basks in his gentleness with her. Pressing her cheek against his chest, she can feel the beat of his heart. Its rhythm is fast, uncontained, as if it is about to beat right out of his chest. She marvels at how his pace is matching hers, and he wonders if he can feel her pulse in the hand that he is holding. 

Together they dance slowly, swaying side to side, lost in the slow tendrils of the music as the voice wraps around them. Enveloped in their own world, they unconsciously press closer together. The moment is perfect. Effortless and everlasting. 

The piano plays the final keys to the song, and silence surrounds them. Rey is still content in Ben’s arms, unwilling to move. She is just as sure he feels the same, with the way his arms linger on her body. 

“Well, I don’t mean to interrupt, but back in my day if you held a woman longer than a dance, that was considered inappropriate. Unless you were courting her, that is. Are you planning on courting my Sunshine, Ben?”

Grandpa Ben’s knowing voice breaks through the barrier they created as they held one another. She steps back instantly, blushing furiously as she avoids eye contact from both the Ben’s in this house. 

“Rey dear, why don’t you get the dishwasher started? I need to have a chat with young Mr. Solo here.” 

She fights the urge to glare at her grandpa as she leaves the room. A small part of her fears for Ben’s safety, but if anyone can withstand her grandpa’s intimidating talk regarding her heart, Ben can. He was a marine in the same unit as her grandpa. Weak men would not have survived. 

Whispered voices carry their way through the living room to the kitchen as she quietly loads the dishwasher. Her ears strain for information but receive none. 

A moment later, the thumping of the cane alerts Rey to her Grandpa’s movements.

“Where’s Ben?” she asks, not turning around.

“He had to go for the night. What did you think of him?”

“I think I am too old to be set up by my Grandpa. What _exactly_ were you thinking?”

She turns around, huffing, placing her hands on her hips as she stares him down.

The old bastard doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.

“I want to make sure you are taken care of when I’m gone. I’m not saying to marry the guy. I just thought you two would be friends. He can look out for you, and you can look out for him. He doesn’t have anyone.”

At the confession, Rey drops her arms and tilts her head. “What do you mean?”

“He’s the last living member of his family. Everyone else has passed. One day, that’s gonna be you. I just thought you two could help one another.”

Sighing, Rey wipes her hands on a dishtowel as she walks to the small kitchen table, then takes a seat. 

“Grandpa, I know one day you won’t be here, but you need to trust that you raised me right and well enough for me to survive. On my own,” she reiterates as she reaches for his hand. 

Grasping it tightly, he sits down in the chair next to her, not breaking eye contact.

“You’ll understand when you have a family of your own.”

“I already have a family. And _if_ I decide to create my own family, it will be with the person I choose, and you will be there to see it. You aren’t going anywhere for a while, alright?” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Come on, you old man. Let’s finish the dishes.”

Laughing at her grandpa’s expression of mock outrage, their night ends in joy and laughter. 

\-----

_Four Years Later_

Staring at the tombstone in front of them, Rey unconsciously stretches her hand sideways to grasp her husband’s hand. 

Ignoring her outstretched hand, he places an arm over her shoulders instead. Sunlight filters through the tall oak trees, and the cicadas buzz loudly. 

“Is this him? Is this Grandpa?”

Ben smiles down at his daughter, gently running his large hand through her dark hair. 

“Yes, my little ladybug. That’s your grandpa.”

Already at three years old, Hope speaks clearer than most of the older kids in her daycare. Her hazel eyes narrow at the stone slab, as her freckled nose scrunches in confusion.

“Why does this Grandpa live in a rock, but Grandpa Ben lives in a house?” she wonders aloud.

“Hope!” Rey scolds.

Ben kneels down to her level. “When you are older, I will explain. But for now, just know this is Grandpa Anakin. He served in the war with Grandpa Ben.”

“My Grandpas were friends?”

“Yes, very much so. Grandpa Ben even saved Grandpa Anakin once. If he never did, Daddy would never have been born.”

“What does the rock say?”

“It says, ‘ _Here lies Anakin Skywalker. Beloved husband and father. Marines, Second Regiment. Keep Moving.’_ ” Ben reads to her.

“Grandpa Ben says that! He says it’s the family mah...mah-doh?”

“Motto, Ladybug,” Rey corrects.

“Family motto,” Hope tries again. “Grandpa Annie and Grandpa Ben must have been best friends if they had the same motto.”

Rey and Ben smile at one another, enjoying the feeling of sharing a piece of their family history with her. When Grandpa Ben discovered the connection to Ben Solo, Rey watched in delight as her then-boyfriend found another connection to his family. She relished in the way he listened to stories about his own grandfather. Now they have their own daughter to pass the stories on to.

Together, they know their family will do what it was always meant to. 

Keep moving. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi and support me here - [tumblr](https://commandercrouton.tumblr.com/) or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Cmndr_Crouton)!


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